Side impact crash event body structure improvement

ABSTRACT

A vehicle or automotive body includes a floor panel, first and second side sills, connected to, respectively, to opposite side of the floor panel, a cross member extending between the side sills and connected to each side sill, a rear door panel, a first reinforcing structure connected to the rear door panel, and a second reinforcing structure connected to the cross member. The second reinforcing structure is arranged with respect to the first reinforcing structure such that the first reinforcing structure contacts the second reinforcing structure during a side impact crash event to transfer load into the cross member.

The present disclosure generally relates to vehicle bodies and relatesmore particularly to a side impact crash event body structureimprovement for a vehicle body.

BACKGROUND

The side impact test conducted by the Insurance Institute of HighwaySafety assesses occupant protection when vehicles are struck in the sideby SUVs or pickups. Occupant protection assessment is based on thecenter pillar inner intrusion into the cabin of the vehicle. Vehiclemanufacturers attempt to reduce the intrusion of the center pillar toincrease the survival space of the cabin.

During a side impact crash event, the load from the event is primarilytransferred through the center pillar. Strengthening the center pillaralone, however, has been found to not be an efficient method to improvethe survival space in the cabin after a side impact crash event.

SUMMARY

A vehicle or automotive body that overcomes the aforementioneddifficulties includes a floor panel, first and second side sills,connected, respectively, to opposite sides of the floor panel, a crossmember extending between the side sills and connected to each side sill,a rear door panel, a first reinforcing structure connected to the reardoor panel, and a second reinforcing structure connected to the crossmember. The second reinforcing structure is arranged with respect to thefirst reinforcing structure such that the first reinforcing structurecontacts the second reinforcing structure during a side impact crashevent to transfer load into the cross member.

In an alternative embodiment, a vehicle body includes a floor panel,first and second side sills connected, respectively, to opposite sidesof the floor panel, a cross member connected to the floor panel, a reardoor panel, a rear door reinforcing beam connected to the rear doorpanel, a first reinforcing structure connected to the rear doorreinforcing beam, and a second reinforcing structure connected to thecross member. The floor panel defines a central axis. The cross memberextends in a direction generally perpendicular to the central axis. Therear door panel is movable between an open position and a closedposition. The first reinforcing structure includes a contact wall spacedinwardly from the rear door panel toward the cross member. The secondreinforcing structure is arranged with respect to the first reinforcingstructure such that when the rear door panel is in the closed positionthe contact wall of the first reinforcing structure contacts the secondreinforcing structure during a side impact crash event to transfer loadinto the cross member.

According to another embodiment, a vehicle body includes a floor panel,a first side sill connected to a first side of the floor panel, a secondside sill connected to a second side of the floor panel, a cross memberconnected to each side sill, an inner rear door panel, an outer reardoor panel connected to the inner rear door panel, a first reinforcingstructure connected to at least one of the rear door panel and the outerrear door panel, and a second reinforcing structure connected to thecross member. The floor panel defines a central axis. The cross memberextends generally perpendicular to the central axis. The outer rear doorpanel includes a portion spaced from the inner rear door panel. Thefirst reinforcing structure includes a contact surface spaced from theinner rear door panel in a direction away from the outer rear doorpanel. The second reinforcing structure is arranged with respect to thefirst reinforcing structure such that the contact surface of the firstreinforcing structure contacts the second reinforcing structure during aside impact crash event to transfer load into the cross member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a vehicle body looking frominside the body towards the outside and rearwardly.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken normal to a symmetrical axis ofthe vehicle showing a lower portion of the vehicle body prior to a sideimpact crash event.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view, with portions shown in cross section, of thelower portion of the vehicle body prior to a side impact crash event.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 3, however, shown after theside impact crash event.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the side impact crash event bodystructure improvements found in the vehicle body shown in FIGS. 1-4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The vehicle body, a portion of which is depicted in FIGS. 1-5, includesa floor panel 12 that defines a central axis 14 that runs parallel tothe forward and backward direction of travel of the vehicle. The floorpanel 12 is a formed sheet of metal that includes a centrally disposedfloor tunnel 16 that is aligned with and runs along the central axis 14of the floor panel. Side flanges 18 depend upwardly from opposite (leftand right) sides of the floor panel 12. The side flanges 18 generallyrun along the left and right side edges, respectively, of the floorpanel parallel to the central axis 14. The side flanges 18 provide asurface for attaching side sills 22. Only one side sill 22 is shown inFIG. 1 (on the left side of the vehicle); a second side sill attaches tothe other side flange 18. Accordingly, first and second side sills 22connect, respectively, to opposite sides of the floor panel 12.

With reference to FIG. 2, each side sill 22 is generally formed as ahollow member that runs, i.e. has a longitudinal axis, parallel to thecentral axis 14. In FIG. 2, similar to FIG. 1, only one side sill 22 isshown. An axis of symmetry 24, which is perpendicular to the centralaxis 14 (FIG. 1), defines a symmetrical plane for the vehicle body inthat the vehicle body is the mirror image of itself on opposite sides ofthe symmetrical plane. Accordingly, for the sake of brevity and the easeof understanding the figures, both sides of the symmetrical plane arenot depicted in the figures.

With reference back to FIG. 1, a center pillar 30 rises upwardly withrespect to the floor panel 12 and is connected to the side sill 22. Onlyone center pillar is shown in the figures, however, another centerpillar is located on the opposite side of the symmetrical plane, asdiscussed above. The center pillar 30 in most vehicles is the primaryload path for a side impact crash event.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, a front door inner panel 32 hingedlyattaches to the vehicle body (location not shown) so that the door panel32 is movable between an open position (not shown) and a closed position(shown in FIG. 1). The front door inner panel 32 is forwardly disposedwith relation to the center pillar 30. With reference to FIG. 3, thefront door inner panel 32 attaches to a front door outer panel 34, whichforms a part of the outer skin of the vehicle. A front door beam 36attaches to one or both of the front door panels 32 and 34 and isdisposed in a space between the respective panels. The front door beam36 provides structural support for the front door of the vehicle duringa side impact crash event. The front door inner panel 32 is spaced fromthe front door outer panel 34, except where the two are connected to oneanother, to provide a mounting location for the front door beam 36 aswell as other components that may be located in the front door, forexample a retracted window, controls for retracting a window, lockassemblies, etc. Openings 38 (FIG. 1) are provided in the front doorinner panel 32 for providing access to aforementioned components foundin the front door.

With reference to FIG. 1, a rear door inner panel 42 hingedly attachesto the vehicle body and is rearwardly disposed with respect to thecenter pillar 30. With reference to FIG. 3, a rear door outer panel 44connects at its peripheral edges to the rear door inner panel 42. Boththe rear door inner panel 42 and the rear door outer panel 44 aremovable between an open position (not shown) and a closed position(depicted in FIGS. 1-4). A rear door beam 46 attaches to both or onlyone of the rear door inner panel 42 and the rear door outer panel 44. Aportion of the rear door inner panel 42, i.e. the portion that does notcontact the rear door outer panel 44, is spaced inwardly from the reardoor outer panel 44 to provide a space in which the rear door beam 46 isdisposed. This space also receives other components of the rear door,such as a retracted window, power lock assemblies and power window motorassemblies. With reference back to FIG. 1, openings 48 are provided inthe rear door inner panel 44 to provide access to the aforementionedassemblies.

A cross member, which will be referred to as a mid floor cross member52, runs across the floor panel 12 in a direction generallyperpendicular to both the central axis 14 and the symmetrical axis 24(FIG. 2). The mid floor cross member 52 is symmetrical with respect tothe symmetrical plane in which both the central axis 14 and thesymmetrical axis 24 reside. The mid floor cross member 52 attaches atopposite ends to the side sills 22 and also attaches to the floor face12. The floor panel 12 is forwardly disposed with respect to the midfloor cross member 52. A floor face 54 of a luggage compartment isrearwardly disposed with respect to the mid floor cross member 52. Asmore clearly seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the mid floor cross member 52 alsoattaches to the floor face 54.

The mid floor cross member 52 is a formed piece of metal which is formedhaving a plurality of surfaces. Since the mid floor cross member 52 issymmetrical with respect to the central axis 14 and the symmetrical axis24, only one side of the mid floor cross member will be described withparticularity taking into account that the other side is a mirror imagethereof. The mid floor cross member 52 is a formed to include a centralupper horizontal surface 60 that is centered with respect to the centralaxis 14 and the symmetrical axis 24. An upper angled transition surface62 depends downwardly and outwardly from the central axis from thecentral upper horizontal surface 60 towards an intermediate upperhorizontal surface 64. The upper angled transition surface 62interconnects the central upper horizontal surface 60 and theintermediate upper horizontal surface 64.

An intermediate angled transition surface 66 depends downwardly andoutwardly from the intermediate upper horizontal surface 64. An outerhorizontal surface 74 is located at a lower end of the intermediateangled transition surface 66. An outer angled surface 76 dependsoutwardly and downwardly from the outer horizontal surface 74 and aconnection flange 78 extends outwardly and horizontally from the angledouter surface 76 to provide an attachment location for an end of the midfloor cross member 52 to a respective side sill 22.

The mid floor cross member 52 also includes a vertical surface 82 thatextends downwardly from the central upper horizontal surface 60, theupper angled transition surface 62, the intermediate upper horizontalsurface 64 and the intermediate angled transition surface 66 towards aconnection flange 86, which provides a location for connecting the midfloor cross member 52 to the floor panel 12. Even though the surfaces ofthe mid floor cross member 52 have been described with greatspecificity, it can take other configurations.

Box-like shaped reinforcing structures are provided in the vehicle bodyto provide a secondary load path for the force from a side impact crashevent to be transferred to the mid floor cross member 52. A firstreinforcing structure, which in the depicted embodiment is a cube-shapedhollow box 90, cooperates with a second reinforcing structure, which inthe depicted embodiment is a hollow gusset 92, to transfer the loadduring a side impact crash event into the mid floor cross member 52.

The box-shaped reinforcing structure 90 connects to at least one of theinner rear door panel 42 and the outer rear door panel 44 (each of whichcan also be referred to simply as a rear door panel) and includes avertically disposed contact wall 94 that is horizontally spaced from anattachment wall 96 (FIG. 2) that connects to and contacts the rear doorbeam 46 (FIG. 2). As most clearly seen in FIG. 5, a top wall 98, sidewalls 102 and 104, and bottom wall 106 interconnect the contact wall 94and the attachment wall 96 spacing the former from the latter. Withreference back to FIG. 1, the box-shaped reinforcing structure 90extends through a rectangular reinforcing structure opening 108 formedin the inner rear door panel 42 so that the contact wall 94 of the firstreinforcing structure 90 is spaced inwardly from the rear door innerpanel 42, which reduces the distance that the contact wall 94 travelsprior to contacting the second reinforcing structure 92 during a sideimpact crash event. Inner vehicle padding and trim 112 (depictedschematically in FIGS. 2-4) covers the box-like reinforcing structure 90so that it is not noticeable to a passenger riding in the vehicle cabin.The first reinforcing structure 90 can take alternative configurations,e.g. cylindrical. The reinforcing structure opening 108 may take othershapes to accommodate a differently shaped first reinforcing structure.

The first reinforcing structure 90 is positioned in the lower portion ofthe rear door and is rearwardly spaced from the center pillar 30. Asmore clearly seen in FIG. 3, the first reinforcing structure 90, andmore particularly the contact wall 94, is also offset rearwardly from alongitudinal axis 114 of the mid floor cross member 52, the longitudinalaxis being perpendicular to both the central axis 14 and the symmetricalaxis 24 in a direction parallel to the central axis 14. Such aconfiguration lessens the inward intrusion of the inner rear door panel42 that is positioned between the center pillar 30 and the firstreinforcing structure 90 as well as the center pillar 30 itself duringthe side impact crash event. In view of this configuration, the secondreinforcing structure 92 is formed to accommodate the rearward offset ofthe first reinforcing structure 90 from the longitudinal axis 114 of themid floor cross member 52.

The second reinforcing structure, which in the depicted embodiment isreferred to a gusset 92, connects to each end of the mid floor crossmember 52. The gusset 92 includes a vertical impact wall 120 that isstruck by the contact wall 94 of the first reinforcing structure 90during a side impact crash event (see FIG. 4). The gusset 92 is shapedin a manner to provide a plurality of attachment surfaces for attachingthe gusset 92 to the mid floor cross member 52 as well as the floor face54 of the luggage compartment. Additionally, the gusset 92 is shaped ina manner to allow the impact wall 120 to be offset from longitudinalaxis 114 of the mid floor cross member 52 (see FIG. 3).

With reference to FIG. 5, the gusset 92 includes an upper horizontalwall 122 that extends inwardly from the vertical impact wall 120. Theupper horizontal wall 122 provides a surface for attaching the gusset 92to the intermediate upper horizontal surface 64 of the mid floor crossmember 52, as more clearly seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. In the depictedembodiment, the gusset 92 is attached to the mid floor cross member 52and the floor face 54 via mechanical fasteners, e.g. bolts, however,other conventional manners for attaching the two metallic pieces to oneanother can also be used, for example welding and the like.

A rearward vertical wall 124 extends perpendicularly downwardly from arear edge the upper horizontal wall 122 and rearwardly from the verticalimpact wall 120. A rearward attachment flange 126 extends rearwardly andperpendicularly outwardly from the rearward vertical wall 124. Theattachment flange 126 contacts the floor face 54 of the luggagecompartment and is fastened thereto, typically via a bolt 128 (FIG. 3)extending through an opening 130 in the attachment flange and an opening(not visible) in the floor face.

A forward vertical wall 132 extends perpendicularly downward from theupper horizontal wall 122 and thus parallel to the rearward verticalwall 124. A forward angled wall 134 interconnects the forward verticalwall 132 and the impact wall 120. The forward angled wall 134 alsodepends perpendicularly downward from the upper horizontal wall 122. Aforward flange 136 extends forwardly from both the forward vertical wall132 and the forward angled wall 134. The forward flange 136 contacts theouter horizontal surface 74 of the mid floor cross member 52 (see FIG.3). A side flange 138 extends at an obtuse angle from the impact wall120 outwardly therefrom. The side flange 138 contacts the floor face 54in the luggage compartment and is rearwardly offset from thelongitudinal axis 114 of mid floor cross member 52 (see FIG. 3).

In addition to the opening 130 provided in the rearward attachmentflange 126, an opening 140 is provided in the upper horizontal wall 122and an opening 142 is provided in the forward vertical wall 132 each forreceiving mechanical fasteners. Corresponding aligned openings (notvisible) are provided in the mid floor cross member 52 to receive bolts144 (FIGS. 3 and 4) and 146 (FIG. 1) to connect the gusset 92 to thecross member. As discussed above, the gusset can attach to the crossmember in other manners.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, in FIG. 3 the vehicle body is shownprior to a side impact crash event and in FIG. 4 the vehicle body isshown after or during a side impact crash event. As discussed above, thecenter pillar intrusion is the standard by which the survival space ofthe cabin is assessed. Typically the center pillar is the primary loadcarrying member during a side impact crash vent. By providingreinforcing structures that are rearwardly offset from the center pillarand arranging these structures to provide a secondary load path throughthe mid floor cross member, the survival space is increased. Withreference to FIG. 4, during a side impact crash event the contact wall94 of the box 90 contacts the impact wall 120 of the gusset 92 thustransferring some of the load from the side impact crash event throughthe mid floor cross member 52.

A vehicle body that includes reinforcing structures to provide asecondary load path during a side impact crash event has been describedwith particularity. Modifications and alterations will occur to thosereading and understanding the preceding detailed description. Theinvention is not to be limited to only those embodiments disclosed.Instead, the invention is broadly defined by the appended claims and theequivalents thereof.

1. A vehicle body comprising: a floor panel defining a central axis;first and second side sills connected, respectively, to opposite sidesof the floor panel; a cross member defining a longitudinal axisperpendicular to the central axis and extending between the side sillsand connected to each side sill; a rear door panel; a first reinforcingstructure connected to the rear door panel rearwardly offset withrespect to the longitudinal axis; a second reinforcing structureconnected to the cross member and arranged with respect to the firstreinforcing structure such that the first reinforcing structure contactsthe second reinforcing structure during a side impact crash event totransfer load into the cross member.
 2. The body of claim 1, wherein thefirst reinforcing structure comprises a generally box-shaped member anda portion of the member extends inwardly beyond to rear door panel. 3.The body of claim 1 further comprising a rear door reinforcing beamconnected to the rear door panel, the first reinforcing structure beingconnected to the rear door reinforcing beam.
 4. The body of claim 1,wherein the second reinforcing structure includes an impact wall thatcontacts the first reinforcing structure during the side impact crashevent, the impact wall being offset from the longitudinal axis of thecross member in a direction parallel to the central axis.
 5. The body ofclaim 1, wherein the cross member contacts the floor panel between theside sills.
 6. The body of claim 1, wherein the floor panel includes afloor tunnel formed along the central axis.
 7. The body of claim 1,wherein the rear door panel includes an opening and the firstreinforcing structure extends through the opening.
 8. The body of claim1, further comprising a floor face of a luggage compartment rearwardlydisposed with respect to the cross member, wherein the cross membercontacts the floor face between the side sills.
 9. A vehicle bodycomprising: a floor panel defining a central axis; first and second sidesills connected, respectively, to opposite sides of the floor panel; across member connected to the floor panel and extending in a directiongenerally perpendicular to the central axis; a rear door panel movablebetween an open position and a closed position; a rear door reinforcingbeam connected to the rear door panel; a first reinforcing structureconnected to the rear door reinforcing beam and including a contact wallspaced inwardly from the rear door panel towards the cross member; and asecond reinforcing structure connected to the cross member and arrangedwith respect to the first reinforcing structure such that when the reardoor panel is in the closed position the contact wall of the firstreinforcing structure contacts the second reinforcing structure during aside impact crash event to transfer load into the cross member, whereinthe second reinforcing structure includes an impact wall that contactsthe contact wall of the first reinforcing structure during the sideimpact crash event, the impact wall being offset from a longitudinalaxis of the cross member in a direction parallel to the central axis.10. (canceled)
 11. The body of claim 9, further comprising a centerpillar extending upwardly from the floor panel, the center pillar beingoffset from the cross member in a forward direction and the contact wallbeing offset from the longitudinal axis in a rearward direction.
 12. Thebody of claim 9, wherein the cross member connects at a first end to thefirst side sill and at a second end to the second side sill.
 13. Thebody of claim 9, wherein the rear door panel is an inner rear door paneland the body further comprises an outer rear door panel connected to theinner rear door panel, the rear door reinforcing beam being locatedbetween the inner rear door panel and the outer rear door panel.
 14. Thebody of claim 13, wherein the inner rear door panel includes an openingand the first reinforcing structure extends through the opening.
 15. Thebody of claim 9, wherein the first reinforcing structure comprises agenerally box-shaped member.
 16. A vehicle body comprising: a floorpanel defining a central axis; a first side sill connected to a firstside of the floor panel; a second side sill connected to a second sideof the floor panel; a cross member extending generally perpendicular tothe central axis and connected to each side sill; an inner rear doorpanel; an outer rear door panel connected to the inner rear door paneland including a portion spaced from the inner rear door panel; a firstreinforcing structure connected to at least one of the inner rear doorpanel and the outer rear door panel, the first reinforcing structureincluding a contact wall spaced from the inner rear door panel in adirection away from the outer rear door panel, the contact wall beingoffset from a longitudinal axis of the cross member in a rearwarddirection; a second reinforcing structure connected to the cross memberand arranged with respect to the first reinforcing structure such thatthe contact wall of the first reinforcing structure contacts the secondreinforcing structure during a side impact crash event to transfer loadinto the cross member, the second reinforcing structure includes animpact wall that contacts the contact wall of the first reinforcingstructure during the side impact crash event, the impact wall beingoffset from the longitudinal axis of the cross member in a rearwarddirection.
 17. The body of claim 16, wherein a portion of the firstreinforcing structure is positioned between the inner rear door paneland the outer rear door panel.
 18. The body of claim 17, furthercomprising a rear door reinforcing beam disposed between the inner reardoor panel and the outer rear door panel and the first reinforcingstructure is connected to the rear door reinforcing beam.
 19. The bodyof claim 16, further comprising a center pillar extending upwardly fromthe floor panel, the center pillar being offset from the cross member ina forward direction.
 20. The body of claim 18, wherein the inner reardoor panel includes an opening and the second reinforcing structureextends through the opening.
 21. The body of claim 9, wherein thecontact wall and the impact wall are offset rearwardly from the crossmember.